Just For Stallion

[50's PONY]

Jucos looking good to top teams
Defending national champions now tops in tapping junior college football talent
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By John Maher

AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Tuesday, February 3, 2004

When it comes to college football recruiting, juco has often been a four-letter word.

Some big-name programs -- including Texas -- rarely bother to sign junior college players. Some recruiting services don't waste many superlatives on them, heaping them instead on high school hotshots. Fans rarely buzz about junior college prospects on the Internet.

"Most of the recruiting experts are focused on high school guys," said Kevin Lustgarten, publisher of JCFootball.com, a Web site devoted to junior college football. "Sometimes these guys (jucos) are completely under the radar as far as the recruiting services are concerned . . . and the majority of fans look at J.C. guys as throw-ins. There's a stigma; they don't get the same hype."

But take a look at what's happening this year. It's cool to be juco. Recruiting them looks like the winning edge.

This year, it's not just quick-fix coaches and programs loading up with junior college players. It's national champions Southern California and Louisiana State that are using jucos to keep their edge on opponents.

On Wednesday -- national signing day -- USC is poised to land three of the top five junior college players in the country; LSU three in the top 15, according to one recruiting service, Rivals100.com.

Miami and Tennessee also are grabbing five-star juco players. In addition, Texas A&M and Texas Tech are getting heavily into the mix, with Tech bringing everything but the Reedley College campus to Lubbock, signing a star quarterback and probably three of his teammates from that one California team. Even staid Notre Dame has dipped into the juco ranks for one of its best recruits in a rather lean year for the Irish.

"Schools have different philosophies," said Bobby Burton, chief recruiting analyst for Rivals100.com. "USC is not afraid to go the J.C. route. One of the first things that Pete Carroll did when he arrived was he went out to J.C. practices. Nobody did that. But he puts an emphasis on J.C. recruiting."

Junior colleges and community colleges are two-year post-secondary schools that offer certificate programs where students can pick up undergraduate credits, vocational skills or other knowledge.

According to the American Association of Community Colleges, there are 1,171 such schools in the country, educating more than 10 million students. The National Junior College Athletic Association has 503 members in 42 states, and 70 of those schools play football.

Some of the better juco programs have players steered there by four-year schools hoping that they'll make grades and become eligible. But there are also players who weren't recruited by big-time programs and some of those also blossom into very good football players.

"The J.C. player is the the most determined football player around," Lustgarten said. "He's not on scholarship. He may have to hold a job. He wants to play football and get an education."

The downside of recruiting such players is that they'll have only two years of eligibility left at a four-year school, and they may bring along some of the academic problems that kept them out of a four-year school in the first place. The upside is that they're older players who can be plugged in quicker. "Out of the box, these guys are going to be contributors," Lustgarten said.

While many big programs traditionally dip into the juco ranks, others -- such as Texas -- rarely do. USC, however, has been mining talent from that level for decades.

In the late 1940s, USC got Frank Gifford from Bakersfield Junior College. The Trojans later found Heisman Trophy winner O.J. Simpson at San Francisco City College. Oklahoma plucked quarterback Josh Heupel from Snow Junior College in Utah and Heupel then led them to a national championship in 2000.

This year, the big catch from Snow is Taitusi Lutui, Rivals' highest-rated juco player, who probably will be using his 6-foot-5-inch, 370-pound frame to block for USC tailbacks. USC's other projected stars are Scott Ware, a 220-pound defensive back from Santa Rosa JC, and Ryan Powdrell, a 250-pound linebacker from Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, Calif.

The top skill player, according to Rivals, is Reedley quarterback Robert Johnson, who'll be at Texas Tech next year. "When the pocket breaks down he's really elusive, and he's got a decent arm," said Lustgarten.

Tech looks like it will sign at least seven juco players from California this year as well as coveted wide receiver Marquis Johnson from Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College. A&M figures to sign five juco players. Only one of those five will be from a Texas college.

Lustgarten and Burton said state requirements that junior college students pass a standardized test to receive their degree are a hurdle that other states don't have. In the past, those at Texas junior colleges had to either pass the Texas Academic Skills Program test or receive a B or higher in a college course that covered the same material. But starting last September, that's no longer the case. The individual institutions now have more discretion about how to use the Texas Higher Education Assessment test as it relates to degree requirements.

Lustgarten, however, said the NCAA is looking at measures that might make it harder for juco players to get into four-years schools. In August last year, NCAA rules went into effect that required greater progress toward degrees.

Lustgarten said there might be a dropoff in juco talent going on to Division I-A schools for a couple of years until students and educators adjust. Right now, however, the talent level is high enough that even the reigning national champs are looking there for help.

[email protected]; 445-3956

[Stallion]

Both Notre Dame and Penn St dipped into the JUCOs this year probably because they are tired of getting their asses kicked by schools that do. From now on I guess I get to use the Notre Dame and Penn St programs as examples.

[Cheesesteak]

Posted by Stallion:

Both Notre Dame and Penn St dipped into the JUCOs this year probably because they are tired of getting their asses kicked by schools that do. From now on I guess I get to use the Notre Dame and Penn St programs as examples.

Stallion -

Please identify the JUCO player(s) that Penn State took this year.

[The Brown Hornet]

Elijah Robinson did not qualify out of high school last year (had a low test score I think), but he did not go to JUCO. He merely decided to sit out the year and was able to enroll at PSU for the spring semester after getting a sufficient test score. Other than Robinson, I think the rest of PSU's verbals are straight out of high school.

Notre Dame has one verbal from a kid that went to prep school for a year, I think. Somewhat different than going JUCO if you ask me.

[Stallion]

if you ask me there no damn difference at all between all these Prep Schools and JUCOs except that the schools in the East seem to pretend that these kids just wanted to continue their education when in fact that were placed by the very schools that pretend they don't take these kinds of kids. This ain't no "Goodbye Mr Chips" inspirational epic-drama but a very calculated way to recruit and retain students who otherwise would not have a hope of getting into these schools. And Notre Dame had several Prep/Academy recruits.

<small>[ 02-03-2004, 10:38 AM: Message edited by: Stallion ]</small>

[Cheesesteak]

TBH - you are right...Elijah Robinson was recruited out of HS a year ago by Penn State and many others. After committing to Tulane, he stayed home in NJ and Penn State re-recruited him.

As you noted, Penn State's recruits are straight out of HS.

Many have impressive academic records too.

[EastStang]

Ohio State has a pipeline from Fork Union Military Academy in rural Virginia. Eddie George and Archie Griffin both went there to get their grades up. I've seen the place, other than sports and school, there is nothing to do there. Its a great place to send that miscreant teenager. I guess Ohio State must have an alumnus who sponsored a scholarship program for at risk urban youth at the Military Academy.

[RGV Pony]

That having been said, send all the would-be Ponies down to Harlingen & put'em through the Marine Military Academy.

[Stallion]

home to the great Dale Hellestrae I believe.

[Mike Damone]

I would love it if we could do something like that. Send them to the JUCO or prep school of our choice. Let them learn a system similar to ours for one or two years and actually play against quality talent. Could actually be more benificial than just riding the bench here for those two years. Wouldn't it be nice......